The most powerful overflow of our spiritual experience is that we begin to engage people in a different way. Spiritual experiences, revelation from the word, revelations of spiritual things must lead to encountering and working with people. Paul said I had more revelation than anyone. Nevertheless I had pressure and afflictions come against me, lest I be lifted up in pride. So one of the problems that comes with the greater the spiritual experiences and revelation we have, the greater responsibility we have to engage with people. The dilemma I have seen over the years is when we have experiences, and in the end they don't lead to practical action. It leads to pride and elitism. I've seen that years ago, always concerned me that the revelation was not matched with a humility that met the needs of people. So love that's practical, real, the real experience with God, the tangible experience of God, is to direct us to people, and one of the things that happen is when you meet with people, you find that they're difficult.
They have problems, and they're messy. Have you noticed that? Well it's one thing to say, I'm full of the love of God, that's wonderful. Now let's see what happens when we put a messy person in front of you, a person and they irritate you, a person and they've got holes and all kinds of things going on in their life. What are you going to do? Well what you'll do is, you will manifest the level of maturity of God's love that you carry. If you're impatient, you don't have much love, because love is patient. If you're unkind, you don't have much love, because love is kind. If you're harsh, then you don't have much love, because love is gentle, see? So the check mark for our spiritual experience and walk with God is the people that God brings into our life. Don't you just hate that teaching!
What it does, it brings responsibility. It brings responsibility, that we don't just talk and engage alone with God, but we actually overflow to start to engage with people, and share what God is really like. Over the years I've been in church, I've found people - and I included - I love spiritual experience. I love time with God, away from all those people. [Laughter] Isn't it lovely? But you know it's to lead us to engaging people at a different, and a deeper, and a more impacting level. Look at this. He says - let's just pick it up there in Verse 20 of 1 John 4; If someone says I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar. Whoever does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? So see what the trouble here is, that we feel full of the love of God - oh I love the Lord! I love the Lord! Then God brings someone in front of our life, that really shows us up. It really shows the level of love we have.
God wants to increase the tangible manifestation of loving people. The bottom line, whatever spirituality we have, must show itself in love for people, gentleness and kindness and forgiveness and mercy and grace. You know, this is a key part of what Jesus said was required of us. You notice it's a command. [Laughs] It's a command. This commandment we have from Him, that he who loves God, must love his brother also. So have a look around then near you. Even right now if you were to have a look around, you'd probably see some people, well you'll probably avoid them on the way out of the church see, and you think, I wonder why that is? Well it's because your heart is walled off for some reason, could be all kinds of reasons. You may be hurt or whatever, but that's not love flowing. See there's a thing called cold love. We look at this and we say well, if anyone hates his brother, well you know, we're not conscious of hating someone. What we do is just build a wall, and shut them out, and any of you who have been with someone who shut you out, you didn't feel embraced. You felt barely tolerated, but actually the coldness of it actually is wounding. It actually impacts us quite negatively.